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Trigunian coup of November 4354
The Trigunian coup of November 4354, also called the Defense of Tsar Arkadiy II (by monarchist supporters) and the Monarchist Coup (by republican opponents), was the violent culmination of a power struggle between republicans and monarchists in Trigunia which had been building since the proclamation of Arkadiy Perezhogin as Great Prince & Tsar on 12 May 4351. After the suspicious death of Arkadiy Perezhogin, the government of Trigunia, led by republicans in the Labor Democratic Front and refusing to recognize the claims of the House of Perezhogin to reign as monarchs of Trigunia, ordered the Trigunian Federal Police to enter the Bear's Den palace, ostensibly to secure the crime scene. Arkadiy's son, Arkadiy Arkadiyevich, who took the regnal name Arkadiy II after his father's death, claimed that the government was attempting to assassinate him and his family and called upon the citizens of Trigunia to aid him. Monarchist elements in the Trigunian military responded by deploying to the Bear's Den as well as to the offices of the government. Clashes occurred between the military and police forces. Faced with the overwhelming strength of the military, President/Viceroy Yakim Astafyev resigned his position and was arrested, and the government of Trigunia was dissolved. An interim government was empowered by Tsar Arkadiy II, led by White Trigunia. Lyonya Brantov was named Viceroy of Trigunia, and the monarchist position was strengthened in Trigunia. Background Trigunian elections in November 4350 elections saw a resurgence of support for Lyonya Brantov and his White Trigunia party, with Brantov winning the Presidency and White Trigunia winning a slim majority in the State Duma[http://classic.particracy.net/viewnews.php?newsid=605534 November 4350 Election Results, The Global Gazette, November 4350]. White Trigunia had been previously been relatively hesitant in its support for monarchism, but in February 4351 affirmed its support for the policy[http://forum.particracy.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6768&start=700#p129597 'WHITE TRIGUNIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MONARCHIST PARTY' SAYS LYONYA, Rech Naroda, February 4351]. Lyonya became notoriously friendly with Arkadiy Larionovich Perezhogin, a distant descendent of the House of Rothingren-Traugott, an ancient monarchical line in Trigunia. In April 4351, despite protests from the opposition, the government allowed Perezhogin and his family to purchase the right to live in the Bear's Den, the ancestral royal palace of the Rothingren-Traugotts[http://forum.particracy.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6768&start=700#p129597 WITH PRESIDENT'S BLESSING AND AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE, PEREZHOGIN AND FAMILY INHABIT THE BEAR'S DEN, Rech Naroda, April 4351]. This symbolic move was widely recognized as indicating the government's clear intention of restoring the monarchy in Trigunia. In an unprecedented move, Brantov and his entire government assembled at the Bear's Den in May 4351 and declared that the November 4350 election had been a referendum on monarchy in Trigunia[http://forum.particracy.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6768&start=700#p129597 CITING 'NOVEMBER REFERENDUM,' LYONYA AND GOVERNMENT, 'RECOGNIZING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE,' NAME ARKADIY PEREZHOGIN GRAND PRINCE & TSAR OF TRIGUNIA, Rech Naroda, May 4351]. Citing the "will of the people", Brantov recognized Perezhogin as Great Prince & Tsar of Trigunia and renounced his own title of President of Trigunia, instead naming himself Viceroy. Riots were reported across Trigunia, and the opposition refused to recognize the monarchy or the position of Viceroy. Until the election of November 4353 there was little that could be done to halt the advancement of the monarchy in Trigunia. Lyonya used the title "Viceroy of Trigunia" in his official capacity, invited Tsar Arkadiy to state events in an official capacity, and used the Federal Police force to quell rioting. In November 4353, an electoral victory for the Labor Democratic Front and Lyonya's loss in the Presidential election meant that a republican government was empowered[http://classic.particracy.net/viewnews.php?newsid=606368 November 4353 Election Results, The Global Gazette, November 4351]. This government refused to acknowledge Perezhogin's claim, revoked all invitations that had been extended to him, and resumed use of the title "President." Events 200px|right|thumb|Tsar Arkadiy I 13 November Death of Arkadiy Larionovich Perezhogin The unrest began on 13 November 4354 when the government announced that Arkadiy Larionovich Perezhogin was found dead in the Bear's Den palace[http://forum.particracy.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6768&start=700#p129865 BREAKING: TSAR ARKADIY POISONED, LYONYA CLAIMS ASTAFYEV IS RESPONSIBLE, Rech Naroda, November 4354]. The republican government's statement on Perezhogin's death noted that "initial autopsy reports show a fatal level of arsenic in his bloodstream, leading us to the conclusion that he was murdered." An immediate outcry emerged from monarchist circles, stating that the Tsar's death had been an assassination, not simply murder. Foremost among these monarchist voices was former president and viceroy Lyonya Brantov, who released a statement claiming that President/Viceroy Yakim Astafyev "had a direct hand in Perezhogin's death." Brantov demanded that "the Traitorous Viceroy Astafyev must be brought to justice swiftly." Astafyev categorically denied these allegations and continued to claim that Perezhogin held no formal title [http://forum.particracy.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6768&start=700#p129869 Astafyev denies allegations by Brantov, Rech Naroda, November 4354]. 300px|left|thumb|Federal Police surround the [[Bear's Den]] Federal Police surround the Bear's Den Shortly after the announcement of Perezhogin's death, his son Arkadiy Arkadiyevich was sworn in by those loyal to him as the new Great Prince & Tsar of Trigunia, taking the regnal name Arkadiy II. President Astafyev ordered Federal Police to secure the scene of the late Perezhogin's death, and they took up positions around the Bear's Den but were denied entry by the Palace Guard, a small and lightly armed force created on the royal household's bankroll during the Brantov administration. With the arrival of the police units, the Tsar released a statement declaring himself "besieged" by the government[http://forum.particracy.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6768&start=700#p129911 "BESIEGED" BY FEDERAL POLICE, TSAR PROCLAIMS ONGOING COUP AGAINST HIS BODY, CALLS FOR SUPPORT, Rech Naroda, November 4354] and calling upon the citizenry of Trigunia to come to his aid. A tense standoff ensued at the Bear's Den, where police, reluctant to strike first at the Palace Guard, hesitated. Military deployment Late in the evening of 13 November, heeding the Tsar's call to arms, several elements of the military loyal to the monarch deployed to strategic positions in Rodshyadam, demanding that the government end it's siege of the Bear's Den and 14 November End of the siege on the Bear's Den Beginning of the assault on the Presidential Residence 15 November End of the assault on the Presidential Residence Arrest of Yakim Astafyev Tsar Arkadiy II names Lyonya Viceroy 16 November Republican government ended Aftermath References Category:Trigunia Category:Coups d'état and coup attempts